Surgical tweezers.



R. BLUNK.

SURGICAL TWEEZERS. APPLICATION FILED AUG; 17, 190B.

Patented Feb. 18,1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.. WASHINGTON. u. c.

hemorrhage by auxiliary means.

ENT @FFTQE.

RICHARD BLUNK, OF WESEL, GERMANY.

SURGICAL TWEEZERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18,1913.

Application filed August 17, 1908. Serial No. 448,946.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD BLUNK, a subject of the German Emperor,residing at W esel, in the Empire of Germany, have in- 5 vented new anduseful Improvements in Surgical Tweezers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to surgical tweezers, the action of whichis to arrest closing the ends of a blood vessel that has been cutthrough by other tweezers or by a knife, this closing of the bloodvessel being effected by a brief application of the new tweezers andwithout any This result is attained by the device shown in theaccompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is an inside view of the open tweezers; Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the closed tweezers seen from below; Fig. 3 is a plan view of theopen tweezers seen from in front and on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4: is alongitudinal section through the closed jaws on a larger scale; Fig. 5is a cross-section on the line A-B of Fig. 2 on a larger scale.

- Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts in all the drawings.

Generally the escape of blood from blood vessels that have been cutthrough is prevented by binding the ends of the blood vessel together bya thread or by twisting it. There exist tweezers which arrest thehemorrhage although not reliably, by firmly pressing the blood vesselstogether. These methods of arresting the hemorrhage occupy too muchtime, are not to be depended upon or interfere with the space atdisposal and the treatment of the wound. I have consequently endeavoredto find a reliable rapid and sure means for effecting a permanentclosing of bleeding vessels, in that I separate the two inner skins ofthe blood vessel and roll up the thus artificially obtained ends of theskin within the intact outer third'skin. This rolling-up chokes theblood channel and thus arrests the hemorrhage although the end of theblood vessel is not held closed either by a thread, by clamping or bytorsion.

I shall now describe the instrument used and then explain the method ofworking.

The device is similar to ordinary tweezers the jaws of which are curvedaside and contrary to the ordinary tweezers do not contact at a singlepoint but along their whole active surface, in the closing and in theclosed condition. The parts 1 and 2 con- .taining the eyes 4 are pivotedtogether by a rivet or pin 3. The parts of the tweezers (jaws) 5 and 6prolonged beyond the pin 3 are curved aside from the straight directionof the parts 1 and 2. The outer jaw ends in a further curved portion 7which is bent over the end of the jaw 5, thus preventing the jaws 5 and6 springing apart too easily from each other when being used owing tothe part clamped between them. A hook 8 (guide or guard) may also servethe same purpose and is provided on the one 6 and engages over the otherjaw 5 when the tweezers are closed.

The mutual position and shape of the jaws 5 and 6 in the closing andclosed condition is such that their surfaces facing each other contacteverywhere with a slight spring action. The blood vessels held by thejaws and thus situated between the same are consequently forciblyrubbed. In order, when seizing the blood vessel to be closed, to preventthe latter slipping out the aws 5 and 6 are provided with recesses 9 onthe edges turned toward each other, in which the blood vessel whenseized is situated, thus preventing or rendering it difficult for theblood vessel seized to slip away. The recesses 9 are roughened for thepurpose of preventing the slipping of the seized blood vessel.

The recesses seizing the blood vessel are rounded off on their co-actingor meeting edges so as to prevent the blood vessel seized being cutthrough or sheared.

The manipulation and working of my tweezers is as follows :Theinstrument is held by the eyes 4 and so placed on the outolf bloodvessel to be closed that the latter is situated between the jaws 5, 6,that is to say between their recesses 9. If the eyes 4 are approached toeach other then the recesses 9 will come so near together that theiropposite edges seize the blood vessel and in the first place forciblypress it bet-ween them without, however, being able to cut it through,because the edges in question have been well rounded-off. Owing to thispressure the blunt edges of the recesses 9 will squeeze off or separatethe brittle inner skin of the blood vessel seized at the pressure spotcrosswise to the longitudinal axis of the blood vessel whereas the thintough outer skin presses the slightly springing jaws of the tweezers sofar apart that the outer skin is uninjured. Sharp cutting edges would benecessary for separating the latter; If the tweezers are now furtherpressed together the blunt edges of the jaws 5, 6 no longer standopposite each other but each of these blunt edges slide farther alongthe oppositely situated surface of the jaws. The surfaces owing to thenatural friction hold the outer skin with relatively considerable force,whereby the pressing blunt opposite edges push the separated thick innerskins forward into the outer uninjured skin. The inner skins are thusartificially rolled up thereby choking and closing the blood vessel. Theclosing of the blood vessel thus effected is permanent even if thetweezers are removed from the blood vessel.

I am aware that there exist tweezers which are for the purpose ofcutting blood and lymphatic vessels and which aim to close said vesselsby pressure. I am not aware,

however, that any tweezers exist adapted to subject such vessels to therolling action herein set forth.

lVhat I claim is:

In tweezers for arresting hemorrhage from divided blood vessels, thecombination of two jaws which on closing the tweezers glide on eachother cont-acting everywhere over large surfaces and havlng a slightspring action, the encountering edges of the jaws being rounded off,with recesses (9) on the jaws, the recesses being roughened, said jawssubjecting the vessels engaged thereby to a rubbing action between them,whereby the skins of said vessels are rolled up sub-1 stantially asdescribed.

RICHARD BLUN K.

VVit-nesses H. STELZER, M. Kr'iPPERs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. c.

